Dining review: All artisan, all gluten-free, all the time at San Anselmo's Flour Craft

Pastry has changed. It had to. As the eaters of the world shift their attention to low-carb, no-carb and onwards to ancient carbs, pastry chefs must adapt to the quirks and tendencies of the dining marketplace. Into the pastry fray comes San Anselmo's gluten-free Flour Craft Bakery. Known to many in Marin for its granola, sold at the Civic Center farmers market since 2010 and available in many local grocery stores, Flour Craft launched a brick-and-mortar storefront in downtown San Anselmo in mid-March.

Chef Heather Hardcastle, who co-owns the business with her husband, Rick Perko, was diagnosed with gluten intolerance in 2000. Rather than eliminate favorite gluten-bearing foods from her diet, Hardcastle learned how to cook everything gluten-free from scratch. "It lead to a career change," says Hardcastle, who subsequently matriculated from the general pastry program at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena.

Formal training taught Hardcastle the techniques; she built these into her recipes like the mini-brioche ($2.50). Put through a double fermentation process like that used for wheat flour brioche, Hardcastle's brioche was as lofty and light as any I have tried. Scones ($3) change flavors with the season and the roasted pear and candied ginger, though lighter textured than its wheaty cousin, gained familiar heft from sweet cream butter and organic eggs.

One or two daily sandwiches ($8) make use of the house-made focaccia. Hummus and goat cheese piled with tomato and arugula on the day I visited, the sandwich could have benefited from additional dressing but the airy focaccia, sprinkled with salt, was a highlight. Hardcastle's breads ($8 to $10) and pastry are each made with its own house-made flour blend. Oatmeal soda bread is ideal for toast while the similarly gluten-free high-protein almond and flax meal bread is best for sandwiches and those following the paleo diet plan.

More like custard than frittata, a slice of mushroom and spinach quiche ($4) makes a satisfying breakfast. The crust, made with rice, millet and tapioca flours, was flaky and evenly cooked, the welcome result of years of trial and error by Hardcastle to determine the best baking method. Bread pudding ($6), a showcase for the stunning brioche, revealed the simple beauty of leftovers. Studded with bits of organic, bittersweet chocolate, the brioche readily absorbed the cinnamon- and vanilla-flecked custard. At the end of each not-too-sweet bite, my only thought was "more, please."

A vegan strawberry-apple muffin ($3), sweetened with fruit puree and maple syrup, had a good crumb and was moist enough on the bottom, but was dry toward the top. A vegan chocolate cupcake ($3.50), too, had a good crumb and a slick chocolate and coconut milk ganache frosting, but suffered from an off-putting flavor. Better was the vegan chocolate cookie ($2.25), its pale, crisp exterior yielding to a gooey, not too chocolatey center.

Flour Craft Bakery musters a staff where each person working the counter can answer detailed questions about every ingredient that goes into each and every item sold (insert sigh of relief here). With so many options available, ordering can take more than a moment, but additional help appears immediately to keep the line moving.

The cozy white and grey room gets a pop of color from bud vases filled with orange gerbera daisies and, with the bakery just behind the counter, the wonderful aromas are an incentive to linger over coffee and a treat at one of the small tables or the bench outside in the sun. The joy of pastry, it seems, is eternal.

Christina Mueller writes about food — restaurants, chefs, products and trends — for local and national publications as well as other industry clients. Send her an email at ij@christinamueller.com.